Triamcinolone acetonide is a type of corticosteroid hormone that has been used for years to treat many diseases including eye disease, allergic reactions, arthritis and skin diseases. This medication, which is administered as an intravitreal injection, can be very successful in reducing swelling in the eye, such as macular edema – one symptom associated with diabetic eye disease. More than one treatment may be required to treat your macular edema.
Our highly skilled retina specialist, who specializes in treating diabetic eye disease, gives these therapeutic injections in our Plymouth Laser and Surgical Center. Your eye will be numbed for the procedure and the medication will be injected.
Following the procedure, you may experience some mild discomfort in the eye. Most patients will also experience “floaters” – black spots floating across the eye for a couple of days. The most common side effects are blurry vision, redness, and sensitivity to light. Eye injections can also increase your eye pressure. However, the positive effect of reducing the swelling in the macula and preventing further vision loss more than outweigh the risks.
Although infection rarely results from an eye injection, you should notify your doctor immediately if your symptoms should worsen rather than improve in the days following treatment. While floaters are normal for a few days following the treatment, if you experience flashes of light or a dark veil coming over the eye, this can be an indication of a detached retina. This requires immediate attention. Therefore, do not delay in contacting your doctor.
There are some exciting new studies underway to evaluate the use of other types of intravitreal injections to treat diabetic retinopathy and macular edema. Injections of the drugs Macugen and Lucentis have been approved by the FDA to treat wet age-related macular degeneration – wet AMD. These drugs inhibit blood vessels from growing under the retina. Such blood vessels are stimulated by a hormone called Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF). So, these drugs are considered to be anti-VEGF agents.
In diabetic retinopathy, these blood vessels develop on top of the retina, rather than under it. Researchers believe that VEGF stimulates the growth of the blood vessels both on top of and under the retina, and also increases leakage from the retinal capillaries. Therefore, various clinical studies are currently underway to evaluate the effects of anti-VEGF agents such as Avastin, Macugen and Lucentis, and other VEGF blockers in treating diabetic retinopathy and macular edema. If the clinical studies confirm this theory, it will offer new opportunities to preserve vision in people suffering from diabetes.
Remember that once you’ve been diagnosed with diabetic eye disease, you may require dilated eye exams more than once a year. By keeping your blood sugar levels and blood pressure as close to normal as possible, and by keeping to the schedule of eye examination your doctor recommends, you’ll be doing your part to protect your vision.
Overview of Diabetic Eye Disease
Medical Treatment for Diabetic Eye Disease
Laser Treatment for Diabetic Eye Disease
Therapeutic Injections for Diabetic Eye Disease
Surgical Treatment for Diabetic Eye Disease
